Author
Topic: Blandford Fly (Read 1003 times)

Have just been bitten 4 times by these tiny biting flies within a couple of minutes. At least this year I know what they are. Last year I got a temperature and my legs swelled up very badly after being bitten. This year I made sure that I had antihistamine cream to hand.

Long trousers and tucked into socks for gardening for the time being.

Hope nobody else gets bitten. Thought I'd warn you that they are in the area already, earlier than last year.

Are they the ones that have the amazingly painful bite for their size or am I thinking of something else?

The bite itself is not painful at all and all you see is a tiny bit of blood, but then the reaction starts. For me it got worse the day after last year when temperature started and the huge swelling and yes it is then quite painful. Apparently often people need medical attention for it. I was close to going to the doctor last year.

Haven't seen any yet this year but we always get a lot here (Herefordshire). Avon Skin So Soft spray is a good repellent (combined with suitable clothing). You can get packs of 2/3 bottles online quite cheaply.

Digeroo, They do look a bit like blackfly on broad beans. Very tiny. But the effects are not nice. Woke up several times in the night as the bites hurt. Big red swelling, but not feeling unwell.

I did not notice that I was being bitten yesterday until I saw the telltale tiny blood spots on the bites. Mosquito bites don't leave blood spots and I can feel being bitten. Fortunately these flies only go for the legs because they don't fly high, but could possibly go for arms too when bending over I guess. They are too weak to bite through clothing, unlike mosquitoes.

They are said to live next to water, but we are not near a river. However I had a muck bucket full of water next to where I was bitten, for watering plants. As it has been so dry, this may have encouraged them to congregate there. Maybe next door's pond too?

Hi Ya, Sorry to hear about your run in with this insect galina and hope you are over it soonest. I have never heard of it but reading up it does like water so maybe the pond is an ideal habitat. It also seems to affect some people worse than others. We are not far away from a river but a few houses are between us and it. At least I now know it is about and have been bitten in the past and not known by what. Thought it was mozzies or horse fly. Dorset seems to be a haven for them as the council sprays to lessen the effect so must of had big problems in the past. Good luck all.

It doesn't sound very nice at all, Galina. I hope the antihistamine cream has worked and you are not still suffering.

Despite living not that far from Dorset, I had never heard of the Blandford Fly.

I have just googled it and came across a Daily Mail website below with a picture of the fly. The picture makes it look big but having looked up its size, it is only about two or three millimetres long so is really tiny.

Thanks Pauline and Lezelle, the pain has largely gone but there are still large red and hard lumps under each bite. Last year I had at least a dozen bites, this year only four and the cream to hand, so it was less of a problem. Yes the flies are very small. Didn't have antihistamine tablets to hand Markfield Rover, but thanks for passing on good advice.

Interesting about the ginger - by chance I decided to cook roast pork with ginger yesterday ;) - is this the body craving what it needs?

It doesn't sound very nice at all, Galina. I hope the antihistamine cream has worked and you are not still suffering.

Despite living not that far from Dorset, I had never heard of the Blandford Fly.

I have just googled it and came across a Daily Mail website below with a picture of the fly. The picture makes it look big but having looked up its size, it is only about two or three millimetres long so is really tiny.

Sounds nasty Galina! I've found that applying heat to itchy bites helps a lot, denatures the foreign proteins left by the insect or something.I usually make a cuppa and press the hot mug against the itchies - not boiling straight from the kettle so it burns, but hot enough to be a bit uncomfortable.

Be careful not to go too hot and blister yourself like I did one year! It's not very pleasant at first but after a few minutes it gets loads better.

When the little bar stewards bit me, I found the only thing that would touch the swelling was Piriton - unfortunately it has the side effect of smashing me out, think a couple of pints on an empty stomach but without the fun of drinking the beer.

Adrian

Logged

My garden is smaller than your Rome, but my pilum is harder than your sternum!